Nantua
Nestled in the heart of an impressive limestone gorge in the Jura Mountains, in the Ain department, Nantua is a magnificent mid-mountain destination in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Born around a thousand-year-old Benedictine abbey, the town stretches elegantly along the shores of a glacial lake with sapphire and turquoise waters. Rich in a heroic history linked to the Resistance and a world-renowned culinary tradition, Nantua offers a striking contrast between the verticality of its cliffs and the gentle beauty of its watery landscapes.
Lake Nantua — Paradise of turquoise waters
A true gem of the city, this glacial lake covers 141 hectares and offers a landscape that changes with the light, shifting from deep blue to emerald green.
Water sports and beach activities: During the summer season, the lake transforms into a vibrant leisure destination. The supervised beach at Albert-Le-Grand invites you to swim, while watersports enthusiasts can rent pedal boats, paddleboards, canoes, or try waterskiing.
The lakeside promenade: A paved footpath allows you to walk all the way around the lake or stroll along the tree-lined esplanade in the city center. It's the perfect spot to admire the reflection of the limestone cliffs on the water's surface at sunset.
Recreational fishing: Renowned for the purity of its waters, the lake is a very popular spot for fishermen, who hunt for pike, perch, lake trout or carp during night sessions.
The Abbey Church of Saint-Michel and the historic heart
Nantua developed from the 8th century onwards thanks to the establishment of an important Benedictine monastery. The old town center preserves precious reminders of this medieval past.
Saint-Michel Abbey Church: A masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic art, this former abbey church impresses with its majestic proportions and its richly sculpted 12th-century porch.
Eugène Delacroix's Masterpiece: Inside the abbey church, art lovers can admire an exceptional treasure: the painting The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, painted in 1844 by the renowned Romantic master Eugène Delacroix and listed as a Historical Monument.
Medieval alleyways and fountains: Strolling through the town center, one discovers a maze of ancient streets lined with limestone houses, hidden courtyards, and period fountains that murmur gently around shaded squares.
Nantua sauce — A world-renowned gastronomic experience
Nantua is a must-visit for food lovers. It has lent its name to one of the jewels of Lyon's and France's haute cuisine.
Quenelle with Nantua sauce: This quintessential specialty consists of a soft, airy pike quenelle (made from fish once caught in the lake), generously coated in the famous Nantua sauce. This creamy sauce is traditionally made with red-clawed crayfish butter, crème fraîche, and cognac.
Crayfish and Bugey products: The town's restaurants perpetuate this culinary expertise by showcasing crayfish in all its forms. Local restaurants also feature cheeses from the nearby mountains, such as Comté and Bleu de Gex.
Bugey wines: To accompany these exceptional dishes, nothing beats a glass of Bugey AOC wine, particularly Cerdon (a sparkling, fresh, and fruity rosé produced just a few kilometers away).
Land of Memory — The Epic of the Resistance
The Haut-Bugey region and the surrounding Jura Mountains were one of the most active strongholds of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Nantua proudly bears witness to this history and its legacy.
The Departmental Museum of the History of the Resistance and Deportation: Housed in the town's former prison (a highly symbolic location), this museum offers an educational and moving experience. Through collections of everyday objects, weapons, uniforms, and personal accounts, it retraces the lives of the Resistance fighters and the history of the Deportation in the Ain department.
The Ain Departmental Monument to the Maquis: Erected on the town's heights, this monumental memorial pays tribute to the resistance fighters. Its simple silhouette provides a place for reflection with a magnificent panoramic view of the Nantua valley.
Breathtaking viewpoints and hikes in the Jura
Nantua's unique geological formation makes it an exceptional playground for lovers of wide-open spaces and breathtaking panoramas.
The Roche Merveilleuse viewpoint: Accessible via a shaded hiking trail from the town center, this rocky promontory juts out over the void, offering a spectacular panoramic view of the entire lake and the rooftops of Nantua.
The Monts d'Ain and the Via Jurassienne: The town is the starting point for numerous long-distance hiking trails that climb the Jura mountain ridges. On foot or by mountain bike, these trails wind through dense fir forests and open onto wild alpine pastures.
The Cluse de Néant and the lake of Sylans: A few minutes to the east, discover the lake of Sylans, a wild and mysterious lake famous for its ruins of the old 19th century icehouses, from which natural ice was extracted to be sent by train to Paris and Algiers.
Conclusion
Nantua is a destination with character, surprising visitors with its wealth of cultural and natural treasures. Far from being just a stopover on the way to the Alpine resorts, this town in the Haut-Bugey region captivates travelers with the magnetic beauty of its turquoise lake framed by towering stone peaks. Whether you choose to come to enjoy an authentic pike quenelle, be moved by Delacroix's paintings, or recharge in the fresh air from its viewpoints, Nantua stands out as a warm, gourmet, and profoundly restorative stop in the heart of the Jura Mountains.
Haut Bugey Tourist Office
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